Britain’s first ‘rock ‘n’ roll star, Tommy Steele embraced the burgeoning American sound when most of his peers were hooked on skiffle. His debut single, "Rock With The Caveman," made the U.K. Top 20 in 1956, a feat he bettered the following year when his cover of Guy Mitchell's "Singing The Blues" topped his nation's charts. He never restricted himself to pure rock ‘n’ roll, and embraced a career as a "family entertainer" by the 1960s, starring in musicals such as HALF A SIXPENCE and FINIAN'S RAINBOW. He was awarded the OBE in 1980.